A secret wedding

Running away to tie the knot on the quiet otherwise known as Eloping have become more popular over the years and I photograph at least a couple of weddings a year where the couple get married on a very small scale. My most recent being 12 people and a dog! but lots of couples still choose to secretly tie the knot with just the two of them present.

There are a whole load of great reasons to elope: your budget or the need to marry quickly or maybe you just love the romance in tying the knot as just a couple and having a mad adventure along the way.

If you’re considering eloping heres a few things to consider.

Your wedding budget

A huge draw to considering eloping is the stacks of money you can save against a larger wedding or you could blow that budget on your dream holiday and elopement combined.

If you want to do things on a smaller budget you could visit the registry office or town hall and then go for a slap up lunch at a posh restaurant.

Work out what sort of budget you want to spend on your wedding elopement as your first point of call and then work out the finer details from there.

Making it legal

Have a look online and make sure you are meeting all the legal requirements for the marriage to become official. If you want to get married somewhere unique or maybe a place that holds sentimental value to you, you can have a celebrant led wedding ceremony and do the legal part at a different time. You may wish to choose a close friend to lead the ceremony which can be pretty cool, I've seen this done a few times now and it does work very well providing you keep a straight face :)

Photography

Having a photographer at an intimate wedding might seem a bit over kill but I think it’s just as important as having a photographer for a large wedding. With a small number of guests on the day even some happy snaps may be in limited supply, Its a special day and one that should be recorded with professional pictures.

As with any wedding photography long after your memories of your elopement have faded, you’ll really cherish those photos as a reminder of your day.

Don't forget the witnesses

To have a legal civil ceremony in the UK you will need to have two witnesses. If it’s just the two of you eloping you might grab a random stranger off the street and maybe ask your photographer to act as the second witness for you.

Letting people know

Once you have told the key people in your life like parents and best friends its time to think about how to tell everyone else. You can always throw a bit of a party and announce it there or you could use the power of social media with a cheeky snap of you guys in your wedding outfits to spread the news.

Do it your way!if this is the right decision for you and your partner then you should totally own it! think of the reasons for making that decision, enjoy it and have a day you'll never forget!